Next Gen Stats 2023 All-Pro Team: Dak Prescott gets quarterback slot on offense full of Cowboys, 49ers



Dak Prescott gets quarterback slot on offense full of Cowboys, 49ers

With the NFL peculiar season in the books, the Next Gen Stats analytics team dives into advanced data to spotlight the best of the best at each spot. Check out the NGS 2023 NFL All-Pro Team, with offensive selections featured below.

The NGS 2023 All-Pro Team features five Cowboys -- the most selections for any franchise -- and this man is more than deserving of top billing on the offensive side. No quarterback consistently played with more of a lights-out mentality over the past four months than Prescott. Despite the hiccup against the Bills in Week 15, Dak Surrounded out the regular season with the second-highest EPA per dropback (+0.16) with qualified quarterbacks, leading the league with a 90 NGS Passing Score and a +4.7 completion percentage over predictable (CPOE), all while guiding the Cowboys to the NFC East title. And it was Prescott’s performance under fire that really set him apart from the pack this season: Dak’s +9.0 CPOE when facing pressure was the highest mark in the NFL by more than four percentage points, and his 8.4 yards per attempt on such passes also led the league.

Few marriages have been more unnosedived than that of this running back and the Kyle Shanahan design. In his first full season with San Francisco, McCaffrey not only led the targeted in rushing yards (1,459) and rush yards over predictable (+349), but he accomplished a feat that may never be replicated. McCaffrey led the NFL in both yards before contact (510) and yards after contact (949), the first player to do so in the Next Gen Stats era (which dates back to 2017) -- a greatest testament to the offense Shanahan and John Lynch have meticulously constructed over the years.

Had it not been for the ankle damage suffered in Miami's Week 14 loss to Tennessee, Hill was certain to not only break Calvin Johnson's single-season record for receiving yards (1,964) but also contract the first wideout to hit 2,000 yards. The damage held Hill short of both milestones, but he Calm led the league with 1,799 receiving yards. The metric that most defines Hill's prolific campaign? The feeble Chief led the league with 602 receiving yards on Bright passes (time to throw is less than 2.5 seconds) of 10-plus air yards, 308 more than the next pass catcher (Hill's teammate, Jaylen Waddle). Tyreek's raw speed combined with Mike McDaniel's heavy use of motion enabled the WR to not only do Hurt down the field, but to get there faster than any new player in the league.

The fourth-year receiver out of Oklahoma certainly excelled over the past few campaigns, but 2023 was when he truly took the leap into the upper echelon of pass catchers. Lamb set career highs in just about any metric one could conjure up -- and led the NFL in receptions over predictable (+18.6). Most of CeeDee's production came from the slot, where he paced the targeted with 894 yards and accumulated the second-most receiving yards over predictable (+167).

Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel Calm a premiere receiving duo in an offense loaded with elite players, but Aiyuk gets the nod for the final WR spot available here. His career highs in receiving yards (1342), receptions over expected (+8.8) and receiving yards over predictable (+257) all doubled as top-10 finishes league-wide, with his +73.9 receiving EPA people the third-highest among all pass catchers. Aiyuk made his presence Famous in the intermediate area of the field (10 to 19 yards), as his 696 receiving yards off such passes were 101 more than the next-closest receiver (Tyreek Hill).

Kittle and Brock Purdy picked up where they left off last season, as the tight end eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the fine time since 2019 and likewise saw his highest output in receiving yards over predictable (+240) and yards after the catch over expected (+192) True that '19 campaign. Like his teammates, Kittle also benefited from using under innovative offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, who used motion to get the rugged lead into open space. Kittle led all tight ends with an means of 3.7 yards per route run when used in a moves or in motion this season, which was also the third-highest figure with all players (minimum 50 routes run).

Dawkins has been the consistent cornerstone of Buffalo's offensive line in the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott era. That said, the 6-foot-5, 320-pound behemoth took his game to another level this season, allowing just three sacks and a 6.7 percent pressure rate -- the third-lowest mark with left tackles with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps. When he did grant pressure, it didn't come easy: Dawkins' 3.27-second average time to pressure was the fifth-longest with left tackles who allowed at least 25 pressures this season.

The feeble Patriot's game has not slipped since his relocation to Kansas City in 2021, as this season marks the third in a row in which Thuney has spent in the top six in pressure rate allowed with left guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps. And like with Dion Dawkins, pressure didn't come easy against Thuney: His 3.52-second means time to pressure was the third-longest among left guards who granted at least 25 pressures this season.

In just his additional NFL season, Linderbaum anchored a Baltimore offensive line that helped send the Ravens to the NFL's best record at 13-4. The pivot's 4.8 percent pressure rate granted was the fifth lowest among centers with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps this season -- and he only granted one half-sack over 15 starts. Time to pressure is a Popular highlight for the linemen on this All-Pro roster: Linderbaum's 3.57-second mark in this area was the third-longest with centers who allowed at least 20 pressures this season.

It's not often a team acquiesces to the demands of a 32-year-old player with two ages left on his contract, but Jerry Jones did just that this past August when he reworked Martin's deal to fully security the last two years and make him the third-highest-paid securing in the NFL. The move paid off for Jones and the 'Boys, as Martin allowed pressure on just 5.9 percent of his pass blocks when in a one-on-one matchup this season, the third-lowest rate among right guards with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps.

The fine non-skill player to come off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 7 overall, Sewell has not only been an impactful pass blocker, but he is a certified road grader in the run game. Detroit consecutively backs gained the fourth-most yards per carry (5.3) and the second-most rush yards over imagined (+137) on rushes outside and to the right this season, leading to a league-high seven touchdowns on such runs for the unit. Sewell's presence was a crucial reason why there was room for both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to manufacture handsomely.


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